Ny mpianatra
Tsa maintsy manoratra
Mba mahay tsara
Roughly translated:
The students
Must write
In order to know
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Mazoto ny mpanentana ara_pahasalamana izay mandeha tongotsa
Roughly translated: Zealous are the Health Educators who go by foot
October 25 - October 29 was Mother and Child week. This means getting Vitamin A, Deworming pills and the Measels vaccine out to every mother and child who needs it. The mayor and doctor brought in other docotrs/nurses/midwives from Fianar to come help go out to all the fokontany where the health educators gathered people to get medicine.
Posters were put up throughout the commune in the week before. Thursday notes were send out to the mpanentanas (health educators) to come to a meeting at the CSB II on Friday. Monday I accompanied a nurse and another worker from the hospital with a cooler for the vaccine, bottles of pills and capsules and seringes.
We went to 2 fokontany. One 5k away from the commune and the other 7k but they are on the same road that loops back around to the commune. There was a misunderstanding on the part of the mpanentanas and no one was gathered... So we walked back to the CSB and helped out there. Tuesday we went out again and this time there were people - a lot of people.
The first fokontany set up was pretty disorganized although it was the only time we all had charis and a table to work at. The Vitamin A came in these capsules that we had to cut to cut the top off of and squeeze into the kids mouths. This was my task - along with popping the the pill in there afterwards. Picture it - Me, who does not have the greatest soft spot for children, sticking my fingers in the mouths of about 400 kids between the ages of 9 months to 4 years old... many of whom were crying screaming, slobbering, snotting and just being plain out difficult... yeah... it was a shit show and we didn't have lunch or water between sometime before 7:30 AM and 6:00 PM when we got back from the second fokontany.
I must admit some kids were cute, like the ones who ran away when we jokied about giving them vaccines too. I did my tounge trick at one point and they loved the shit out of that - they always do. On Thursday we weont out again to just do vaccines for anyone who was missed. Instead of having one big group gathered like before, we went out to each individual tanana* and the mpanentanas pretty much made sure that each house came and got the kids vaccinated. Very, very cool! Anyway, even though the kids were screaming and crying over all the vaccine business they were cute and it was funny all at the same time, I guess because they were so dramatic about it.
Coolest thing about all this is that it was happening all over Madagascar!
*So I think I figured it out. The commune is the whole community, the biggest and also called the center of the community. Then the fokontany (10 in Sahambavy), is the small villages that are the surrounding subsets. The smallest is the tanana which are the little clusters of houses within the fokontany.
October 25 - October 29 was Mother and Child week. This means getting Vitamin A, Deworming pills and the Measels vaccine out to every mother and child who needs it. The mayor and doctor brought in other docotrs/nurses/midwives from Fianar to come help go out to all the fokontany where the health educators gathered people to get medicine.
Posters were put up throughout the commune in the week before. Thursday notes were send out to the mpanentanas (health educators) to come to a meeting at the CSB II on Friday. Monday I accompanied a nurse and another worker from the hospital with a cooler for the vaccine, bottles of pills and capsules and seringes.
We went to 2 fokontany. One 5k away from the commune and the other 7k but they are on the same road that loops back around to the commune. There was a misunderstanding on the part of the mpanentanas and no one was gathered... So we walked back to the CSB and helped out there. Tuesday we went out again and this time there were people - a lot of people.
The first fokontany set up was pretty disorganized although it was the only time we all had charis and a table to work at. The Vitamin A came in these capsules that we had to cut to cut the top off of and squeeze into the kids mouths. This was my task - along with popping the the pill in there afterwards. Picture it - Me, who does not have the greatest soft spot for children, sticking my fingers in the mouths of about 400 kids between the ages of 9 months to 4 years old... many of whom were crying screaming, slobbering, snotting and just being plain out difficult... yeah... it was a shit show and we didn't have lunch or water between sometime before 7:30 AM and 6:00 PM when we got back from the second fokontany.
I must admit some kids were cute, like the ones who ran away when we jokied about giving them vaccines too. I did my tounge trick at one point and they loved the shit out of that - they always do. On Thursday we weont out again to just do vaccines for anyone who was missed. Instead of having one big group gathered like before, we went out to each individual tanana* and the mpanentanas pretty much made sure that each house came and got the kids vaccinated. Very, very cool! Anyway, even though the kids were screaming and crying over all the vaccine business they were cute and it was funny all at the same time, I guess because they were so dramatic about it.
Coolest thing about all this is that it was happening all over Madagascar!
*So I think I figured it out. The commune is the whole community, the biggest and also called the center of the community. Then the fokontany (10 in Sahambavy), is the small villages that are the surrounding subsets. The smallest is the tanana which are the little clusters of houses within the fokontany.
One of those cheesy magazine surveys - Turning anger into humor
So the other day a guy came around and I'm pretty sure he was saying that he was looking for a wife... I started out really pissed off and wrote some angry poetry (that I will post later) but I wrote this afterwards in order to take a comic relief angle instead or staying frustrated.
How good are my chances to marry Tisa??
Question 1: Do you smoke?
A. Yes
B. Sometimes
C. No
Question 2: Who drives?
A. You, I umm...lost my license
B. You, my Mustang is in the shop
C. You, I only commute by bike
Question 3: Describe your physical activity
A. I pump iron 3 times a week - here feel my pecs!
B. I take the stairs instead of the elevator
C. The workers at REI know me by name
Question 4: How often would you compliment my looks?
A. Everyday, I think you're pretty
B. When you dress up and wear make-up
C. Not often, I have more important things to say to you
Question 5: Tattoos?
A. None, I think they are tacky
B. I've got a tribal around my bicep
C. I know a guy who can fix whoever chooses B
Question 6: Talk to me about Social Justice
A. What does Social Justice mean?
B. I let other people worry about that stuff
C. That's a little too general...are we talking SES, feminism, gender, race??
Question 7: How would you propose to me?
A. Hey, I'm looking for a wife. It could be you!
B. Lit up on the scoreboard at a baseball game
C. During a slam at a coffee shop
Question 8: How long do you want to wait before actually getting married?
A. Why wait? Let's get hitched now!
B. Year long engagement - enough time to plan the wedding and find a home
C. Marriage?! I thought we were just getting to know each other..!
Question 9: How many kids do you want?
A. 7 boys, 7 girls
B. 2.5 - it's the ideal size
C. None - but adoption if we change our minds
Question 10: How many pets do you want?
A. None, I hate animals
B. A dog, but it has to sleep outside
C. A great dane, at least 2 cats and...a pig!
If you chose:
All A's: No way, you don't have a chance
There is no way in hell that I would ever marry you. Not only do you seem like a total tool but your frame of thought is Completely different from mine. You can leave now. Bye.
All B's: Hate to break it to you but it's best to give up now
You seem like a nice person but I don't think it would work between us. We don't want the same things and that would only hurt us in the long run. If you'd stop hitting on me now I'm sure we could still be friends
All C's: You've got the potential but alas...
You have some pretty ideal qualities - you must have lied about something... But if you do happen to exist I hope we run into each other someday, maybe we could grab some coffee.
How good are my chances to marry Tisa??
Question 1: Do you smoke?
A. Yes
B. Sometimes
C. No
Question 2: Who drives?
A. You, I umm...lost my license
B. You, my Mustang is in the shop
C. You, I only commute by bike
Question 3: Describe your physical activity
A. I pump iron 3 times a week - here feel my pecs!
B. I take the stairs instead of the elevator
C. The workers at REI know me by name
Question 4: How often would you compliment my looks?
A. Everyday, I think you're pretty
B. When you dress up and wear make-up
C. Not often, I have more important things to say to you
Question 5: Tattoos?
A. None, I think they are tacky
B. I've got a tribal around my bicep
C. I know a guy who can fix whoever chooses B
Question 6: Talk to me about Social Justice
A. What does Social Justice mean?
B. I let other people worry about that stuff
C. That's a little too general...are we talking SES, feminism, gender, race??
Question 7: How would you propose to me?
A. Hey, I'm looking for a wife. It could be you!
B. Lit up on the scoreboard at a baseball game
C. During a slam at a coffee shop
Question 8: How long do you want to wait before actually getting married?
A. Why wait? Let's get hitched now!
B. Year long engagement - enough time to plan the wedding and find a home
C. Marriage?! I thought we were just getting to know each other..!
Question 9: How many kids do you want?
A. 7 boys, 7 girls
B. 2.5 - it's the ideal size
C. None - but adoption if we change our minds
Question 10: How many pets do you want?
A. None, I hate animals
B. A dog, but it has to sleep outside
C. A great dane, at least 2 cats and...a pig!
If you chose:
All A's: No way, you don't have a chance
There is no way in hell that I would ever marry you. Not only do you seem like a total tool but your frame of thought is Completely different from mine. You can leave now. Bye.
All B's: Hate to break it to you but it's best to give up now
You seem like a nice person but I don't think it would work between us. We don't want the same things and that would only hurt us in the long run. If you'd stop hitting on me now I'm sure we could still be friends
All C's: You've got the potential but alas...
You have some pretty ideal qualities - you must have lied about something... But if you do happen to exist I hope we run into each other someday, maybe we could grab some coffee.
Shout out!
Shout out to my family and friends! I love you so much!
I also want to give a special shout out to Tom and his class:
Ryan
Becky
Jacob
Brett
Ruth
Desi
Ed
Subrina
Gabriel
Andrew
Sam
These awesome people are in a Correspondece Match Program through PC. Thanks for reading!
I also want to give a special shout out to Tom and his class:
Ryan
Becky
Jacob
Brett
Ruth
Desi
Ed
Subrina
Gabriel
Andrew
Sam
These awesome people are in a Correspondece Match Program through PC. Thanks for reading!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Health Care in my rural commune
CSB II weekly schedule
Monday: Prenatal Consultations
Tuesday: Vaccines
Wednesday: Illness Consultations
Thurdsay: Family Planning
Friday: Vaccines
I go in on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The way it works is when people arrive, mostly women, they stack their karnes (little booklets where all they health info is, their health passport, if you will) outside the door - this is hz they keep track of the order. They sit and wait for the midwives and doctor to arrive, wait for their name to be called and then go in for their consultation. While they wait is an opportunity to get out health messages. This is eo oh eo (more or less) where I come in, well this is where they let me do my PC thing. I can talk about STIs, HIV/AIDS, Diarreah, ARI, Hygiene, Clean water, Safe motherhood, Nutrition - there is a lot!
The only thing is that the CSB II is already pretty well established. They have a doctor. They have 2 midwives. An organization called SALFA is working with the CSB II, they have established health educators in each fokontany (surrounding villages) and I basically do what they do but in poor Malagasy. There is also a WASH worker here to talk about latrines/kabones, clean water and hygiene.
This is great! But I feel like my biggest challenge is going to be finding projects to do that they don't already have covered... I might need to help motivate the health educators to do more - that will be most sustainable. And going out to the far fokontanys will probably be best.
Monday: Prenatal Consultations
Tuesday: Vaccines
Wednesday: Illness Consultations
Thurdsay: Family Planning
Friday: Vaccines
I go in on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The way it works is when people arrive, mostly women, they stack their karnes (little booklets where all they health info is, their health passport, if you will) outside the door - this is hz they keep track of the order. They sit and wait for the midwives and doctor to arrive, wait for their name to be called and then go in for their consultation. While they wait is an opportunity to get out health messages. This is eo oh eo (more or less) where I come in, well this is where they let me do my PC thing. I can talk about STIs, HIV/AIDS, Diarreah, ARI, Hygiene, Clean water, Safe motherhood, Nutrition - there is a lot!
The only thing is that the CSB II is already pretty well established. They have a doctor. They have 2 midwives. An organization called SALFA is working with the CSB II, they have established health educators in each fokontany (surrounding villages) and I basically do what they do but in poor Malagasy. There is also a WASH worker here to talk about latrines/kabones, clean water and hygiene.
This is great! But I feel like my biggest challenge is going to be finding projects to do that they don't already have covered... I might need to help motivate the health educators to do more - that will be most sustainable. And going out to the far fokontanys will probably be best.
Some Rants and Raves
Rants:
-I feel like I am being used as a baby-sitter
-People keep asking me for English tutoring
-It seems like my counterpart is in this weird circle of exclusivity that she wants me to be a part of...
-I have to be cautious about who I make friends with, who I let in my house and what things I let people see.
-Men are not afraid to flirt and touch you... I've got men hissing at me, grabbing at me, and telling me they love me...One guy at my site, a teenager, is particular annoying... He does this creepy cultural palm-tickle thing, tags alng whenever he sees me, tells me I'm handsom, buys street food for me and whatever kid I'm hanging out with and stops by my house smetimes when it is already dark... My American signs of "step off" are not wrking quite well so I have to start being more aggressive and straight forward
Raves:
-There is little to no light pollution here. I can see the Milky Way every night from my front yard
-I eat local and I eat fresh! Carrots, tomatoes, spinach, onions, green beans, beans, mangos, pibasy, cucumber, garlic..! A friend gave me sweet potatoes right from her front yard - they were still warm!!!
-I'm learning how to cook! I made pancakes with fruit compote from scratch!
-I'm starting to get why kids are so cute
-I feel like I am being used as a baby-sitter
-People keep asking me for English tutoring
-It seems like my counterpart is in this weird circle of exclusivity that she wants me to be a part of...
-I have to be cautious about who I make friends with, who I let in my house and what things I let people see.
-Men are not afraid to flirt and touch you... I've got men hissing at me, grabbing at me, and telling me they love me...One guy at my site, a teenager, is particular annoying... He does this creepy cultural palm-tickle thing, tags alng whenever he sees me, tells me I'm handsom, buys street food for me and whatever kid I'm hanging out with and stops by my house smetimes when it is already dark... My American signs of "step off" are not wrking quite well so I have to start being more aggressive and straight forward
Raves:
-There is little to no light pollution here. I can see the Milky Way every night from my front yard
-I eat local and I eat fresh! Carrots, tomatoes, spinach, onions, green beans, beans, mangos, pibasy, cucumber, garlic..! A friend gave me sweet potatoes right from her front yard - they were still warm!!!
-I'm learning how to cook! I made pancakes with fruit compote from scratch!
-I'm starting to get why kids are so cute
Birthday #23 in M/car
Do I feel any older? No, somehow you never do on your birthday
What did I do? Not a whole lot in terms of celebrating, birthdays are not big here. I worked, cooked the same food as always, did a bit of laundry - just another day really. But I did have a beer after my dinner haha
It is the beginning of week 4 at site. Holy crap!
Tamana tsara! (settled well)
My first week I realized how different it is to live alone. It is really quite at night. Have you ever heard stuff at night and totally freaked yourself out for no reason at all?? Yeah, I did that my first week... Long story short - I thought someone had gotten through my fence, the police and mayor ended up at my house, nothing was actually wrong and people are still talking about it... I feel like such an idiot!
Anyway, I have two rooms (bedroom and kitchen), a good sized yard with space to garden. There is a water pump near by and I am close to the commune, CSB II (hospital) and market too.
A glimpse into my day to day:
-I go to the CSB II three mornings a week
-Cook every meal
-Language tutoring three times a week
-Big market days are wednesday and sunday. Bargaining is a big part of the culture
-Saturdays I play with my counterpart's kid
-Sundays there are soccer games
-Another volunteer lives 8k from me and comes on sundays for market so we chill
-Free time is spent reading, cooking, chatting with people and walking aroung. I do a fair amount of just thinking too (like wondering what cyclne season is going to be like) haha
What did I do? Not a whole lot in terms of celebrating, birthdays are not big here. I worked, cooked the same food as always, did a bit of laundry - just another day really. But I did have a beer after my dinner haha
It is the beginning of week 4 at site. Holy crap!
Tamana tsara! (settled well)
My first week I realized how different it is to live alone. It is really quite at night. Have you ever heard stuff at night and totally freaked yourself out for no reason at all?? Yeah, I did that my first week... Long story short - I thought someone had gotten through my fence, the police and mayor ended up at my house, nothing was actually wrong and people are still talking about it... I feel like such an idiot!
Anyway, I have two rooms (bedroom and kitchen), a good sized yard with space to garden. There is a water pump near by and I am close to the commune, CSB II (hospital) and market too.
A glimpse into my day to day:
-I go to the CSB II three mornings a week
-Cook every meal
-Language tutoring three times a week
-Big market days are wednesday and sunday. Bargaining is a big part of the culture
-Saturdays I play with my counterpart's kid
-Sundays there are soccer games
-Another volunteer lives 8k from me and comes on sundays for market so we chill
-Free time is spent reading, cooking, chatting with people and walking aroung. I do a fair amount of just thinking too (like wondering what cyclne season is going to be like) haha
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